My day of departure from this adventure I have been referring to as Breakfast on the Beach and it is fitting that the sun has gone into hiding. I’m standing on the beach just as I have every day this week…waves still come crashing in and foam still laps the shore, birds continue to screech & dive for their morning meal, the ocean persists in its roar, the sand remains cool & damp between my toes & beneath my feet, shells & seaweed continue to litter the terrain, tides ebb & flow just as they have everyday. And though it cannot be seen, somewhere beyond the present clouds the sun is still shining. The scene has not changed, only the lighting is different. God steps center stage and speaks the same line He has uttered for centuries, “Come and have breakfast with me.” {John 21:12}
This week I came to Jesus with my questions and my concerns. I came in bewilderment and confusion over circumstances in my life. I came wounded from the battle. I came with my longings, the desires of my heart even as I was questioning my right to have them. I came hungry and thirsty. I came because the Sovereign God of the Universe whispered an appeal to me to “come and have breakfast”. This God who created all things in heaven and on earth wanted to spend time with me…it is both unfathomable and divinely affirming. This “time” was more than chronos, a ticking of the clock as one minute follows the next…this was kairos, time that is charged with opportunity & significance.
God met me overtaken with hunger & thirst. As we broke bread together He showed me that questions and doubts are not the same, that there will be things He allows in His wisdom that He could prevent in His power, and that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. He reminded me that surrender is not a one time action but a daily submission of my will to His Sovereignty, picking up my cross & following hard after Him. He comforted me that nothing catches Him by surprise & nothing will happen to me or in me without first passing through Him. He assured me that wisdom is mine for the grasping. He encouraged me that He is the God of second chances…and third, and forth, and fifth…the God who gives beauty for ashes {Isaiah 61:3} and He who restores the years that the locusts have eaten {Joel 2:25}. He cautioned me to hold fast to right priorities and loosely to treasures that will fade. He gifted me with a vision of healing and the promise of hope and a future serving Him with those I love. And as He heard my cries that I am undeserving of such a feast, He revealed to me that Christ’s cradle was a trough, a symbol from day one that Jesus had come into the world to nourish even the most unclean creatures.
God’s call to Breakfast on the Beach is an invitation to fellowship that is not altered by circumstances or the passing of time nor is it affected by my unworthiness. In His mercy and goodness Christ offers Himself a daily banquet for my soul where I may be filled to overflowing. He, the Bread of Life, bids me come and dine.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they SHALL be filled.” Matthew 5:6
Livin4Jesus 
I’ve been hungry for a long time. It’s a self-inflicted fast from spiritual things. At first I called it a dry spell. I didn’t like what God was doing in my life and though I tried to hang on & keep faith, I grew weary. Too many questions left unanswered, too much pain coming all at once, being burned out from all the ministry things I was involved in. And to make matters worse I was grossly let down by self-proclaimed spiritual giants spouting Scripture like platitudes. As the Job assaults poured in, I retreated even further. It’s been a long time since I’ve bellied up to the buffet that you wrote about in this series of postings. I do miss it. But even though I’m hungry enough to wish things were different, I’m too stuck to do anything about it. I’m immobilized, unable to move toward even the scraps. I’m still too angry at God, the wounds too fresh. Pray for those of us who feel the hunger pains but are too stubborn to reach out for the nourishment that you write about. I appreciate your insights and your willingess to open up and share your heart on cyberspace. I’ll be back.
Response to bgmorris1192: My heart aches for you. I have no idea what wounds are holding you back nor can I comprehend the level of your pain. All I can say is I’m sorry that you are suffering and seem to have misplaced your confidence in Christ…I don’t think hope is totally lost or you wouldn’t be feeling & acknowledging the hunger pains…and yes I will pray. I’ll leave you with this thought…when the prodigal son got hungry, he ate with the pigs but when he was starving, he came home. Hunger will cause us to settle for whatever we can get. Starvation will compel us to go to the place where the emptiness can be satisfied because if we don’t, we will die. Prayers for you dear one to move beyond mere hunger pains to a point where you are starving for deep fellowship with Jesus Christ.
There is no other way to say it, the past months have been hell for me. I reach across the empty bed where Daniel used to make me furious with snoring. I would give anything to be lying next to him again. The cancer spread so quickly and there was nothing to do but prepare for the end. You were there for me. You & your Jesus. I don’t know him but its obvious that you do and he is making a difference in your life. Thanks for sending me to this site. Let’s talk soon, okay?